Journal
ULTRASONICS SONOCHEMISTRY
Volume 34, Issue -, Pages 289-293Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.ultsonch.2016.05.039
Keywords
Acoustic cavitation; Ring-opening polymerisation; Higher silicon hydrides; Solution-processed; Printable ink
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
We report on a liquid hydridosilane precursor ink prepared via the ultrasonically induced ring-opening polymerisation of cyclopentasilane (Si5H10) without irradiation by ultraviolet light. The sonication is carried out in N-2 atmosphere at temperatures between 20 and 75 degrees C. We use size exclusion chromatography (SEC) to show polymer growth and estimate molecular mass with increasing sonication time. In combination with UV-vis transmission measurements, further SEC analysis is used to compare solutions subjected to either purely thermal or ultrasonic treatment at the same process temperature and for the same duration. Our findings provide strong evidence showing that the initiation of the polymerisation is sonocatalytic in nature and not thermic due to the macroscopic temperature of the solution. The liquid precursor is used to produce homogeneous hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin films via spin coating and pyrolytic conversion. The optoelectronic properties of the films are subsequently improved by hydrogen radical treatment. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) is used to determine a compact film morphology and electrical conductivity measurements show that the layers attain a light-to-dark photosensitivity ratio of 2 x 10(3) making them suitable for application in optoelectronic devices. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available